American television directory (1946)

stealing the popularity of radio sport broadcasts? And tele-newsreels getting a bigger play?” Answer: In those areas where tele¬ vision service is established and the number of television homes is sizable in proportion to radio homes, I believe that television will steal a march on radio in the handling of sport broad¬ casts. But, I believe that before such broadcasts become really popular, the image must be clear and a technique of covering sports events developed which will introduce movement and va¬ riety. You could get very tired of look¬ ing at a game through the lenses of one television camera: but with four or five cameras spotted around the field and a quick shift from one to another, always being nearest the action— we may well get exciting “viewing.” As for the amount of time devoted to television newsreels, presumably in newsreel theaters, the only authority is the public. Whether or not an audi¬ ence will sit through a television foot¬ ball or baseball game in a theater I won’t undertake to say. Presumably, too, theaters will charge admission and whether a televised game will be con¬ sidered worth money is also another problem for the future to solve. Two Techniques Needed Question: “Do you see television de¬ veloping visual art to accompany musi¬ cal programs — which need not be watched to be enjoyed?” Answer: I believe that when sound hit the silent films, the technique of presenting stories on the screen under¬ went radical and fundamental changes. The medium was no longer one pre¬ dominantly of pictures, helped out by as few captions as possible. It became a blend of sight and sound and ap¬ proached theatrical technique — with, of course, the advantage of unlimited stage sets. When sight hits broadcast¬ ing, the same revolution may be ex¬ pected to take place. We all know that a special technique of writing and presentation had to be developed for sound broadcasting. In radio, the scene is set with a brief description by the narrator and the ac¬ tion is painted with sound effects — a stealthy step on the gravel path, the squeak of a door, a shot, a scream, the thud of a falling body. The listener’s galloping imagination does the rest. Action vs Method Television will lose this imaginative co-operation from the listener; and what it will do to established radio technique is open field for speculation. It does seem to me that a group of people in their street clothes, clustered about a mike or two, reading their parts from scripts clutched in their hand — while adequate for such shows as the daytime dramas and even such stellar stanzas as the “Seven Up” and the Joan Davis shows — is a practice doomed to extinction in television. What people want to see is action — not method. I think television is going to need two separate techniques: first, the ap( Continued on page 122) Photograph by Larry Colwell TELEVISION'S entertainment potentialities are slowly unfolding through intensive experimen¬ tation. "The Singapore Spider," above, was produced by WOR's tele-staff at WABD. DEVELOPING commercial techniques for future use: Conover Cover Girls demonstrate the latest in fall footwear and correct make-up methods in WOR experiments at Station WABD. VISUAL COOKBOOK. The General Electric Home Institute suggests an appetite-whetting possibility in tomorrow's food advertising by a kitchen demonstration at Station WRGB. 13